Chamber and committees

This publication can be accessed via the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/10/26114015/0.

Through CashBack for Communities, we will invest at least £13 million through to 2011 in youth diversionary activities to help keep young people out of trouble and away from knives. We are investing £1.6 million between 2008-10, through the Violence Reduction Unit, to support the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV), an innovative gang violence reduction programme in the east end of Glasgow, which will also impact on knife crime. We are investing £500,000 in No Knives, Better Lives, a young engagement campaign launched in May 2009. This year we have invested £400,000 in the Safer Streets programme, to support Community Safety Partnerships in delivering crime reduction measures, including knife crime.

Prior to 2005, Audit Scotland did not distinguish type of noise complaint. Performance Indicators were then amended to reflect the implementation of new noise legislation. Domestic noise was duly defined by Audit Scotland as meaning noise to which part V of the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act, 2004 applies or would have applied, had the council resolved to apply that provision. However, such noise may be dealt with using other, pre-existing legislation.

The following two tables provide a summary of data held by Audit Scotland, and also the Scottish Government when local authorities submitted direct statistical returns from 2005 to 2008 to comply with direct grant administration requirements prior to the single outcome agreement local authority autonomy from April 2008.

Table 1- Summary of Audit Scotland''s Statistics for Noise Complaints from 2004-08

Table 2- Summary of Scottish Government''s Air Noise and Nuisance Team''s statistics of Anti-Social Behavioural Noise complaint totals from the 25 participating Scottish local authorities:

In real terms, revenue funding for Scotland''s eight fire and rescue services has increased by 12% over the last three years, while capital funding has increased by 58% over the last ten years.

It is clear that the removal of ring fencing has provided local government with additional flexibilities and removed significant bureaucracy. But we remain open to discussing alternative approaches with our partners, where these bring clear benefits to the frontline services delivered in our communities.

Persons Convicted of Handling an Offensive Weapon¹ by Age, 1998-99 and 2007-08

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Age at date of sentence.